Happily Ever After
by daykestrel
Summary: The curse has been broken and a dark cloud is rolling through Storybrooke. What does happily ever after look like for 'the savior? Swan Queen
1. Chapter 1

There seems to be an invisible barrier around the mayor's house.

At least, that's the best that Emma can conclude since she can't seem to cross from the sidewalk into the front yard. It's like something is simply stopping her body when she tries to move forward.

Walking into this barrier doesn't hurt. In fact it really feels like nothing at all. But she can't pass through.

The rest of Storybrooke has come to the same conclusion. They gave up trying to track down the mayor, or the evil queen now Emma supposes, almost an hour ago. David, now going by the name James, led the mob away to try to track down the help of Mr. Gold. Or Rumpelstiltskin. Whoever.

This whole thing is a little too much for Emma to take in. Curses that are real. Men made of wood. Dragons. Magic.

And most of all, the strange new way Mary Margaret and David are looking at her now.

So she focuses on the one thing, the one person, that hasn't changed.

Henry.

Henry, still in his hospital scrubs, is shivering beside her in the cold. He's wearing Emma's jacket and a thick pair of socks, but they're not doing enough to cut the cold wind that has sprung up over the past hour.

His hands feel along the invisible barrier carefully, his expression somewhere between impressed and dismayed. He doesn't seem to notice the cold, or the fact that his body is shivering, but Emma notices and she worries for him.

"Regina, come on!" Emma's voice rings out, frustrated.

She had seen the pain in the mayor's eyes when Henry was dying, too raw to be faked. She knows Regina has nothing but contempt for her, but surely there must be some compassion for her son.

"Regina!" Emma calls out again. "Let us in! Henry is freezing, he needs his clothes!"

And then suddenly Henry stumbles forward. Now standing on the front walk, a quiet "whoa" escapes his mouth.

Emma hesitates. This is her chance to bolt. Henry can return to Regina and she can get out of town before things get even stranger.

And yet she can't leave. Not after finding out that everything Henry has been telling her from the day she met him is true. His adoptive mother is the evil queen for christsake. She can't just leave him.

She steps forward gingerly. She's not sure if Regina will allow her to pass, or if a bolt of lightning is going to split the sky and strike her down where she stands.

One step, then another. She's standing beside Henry on the front walk. Apparently they're both invited in.

"Let's go, kid." She places a hand on his shoulder and he smiles up at her.

They've just started forward when they hear a shout from behind them.

About a dozen townsfolk are storming across the street holding shovels and baseball bats. In a sickening realization Emma notes that one of them even has a gun.

Their cries are angry and determined. "They're inside! Get them! Get the queen!"

Emma realizes that they must have been watching, waiting. The front lawn offers nowhere to hide and they'll never make it to the door in time. Damn Regina and her massive, perfectly manicured yard.

"Regina!" Emma's voice rings out, raw and desperate.

And then there's nothing but silence.

The mob has reached the sidewalk but can proceed no further. Emma can see their mouths open, yelling, but she cannot hear them. They pound ineffectively at the barrier, their faces twisted with frustration and anger.

The man with the gun raises his weapon. Emma throws herself and Henry to the ground but the bullet is equally ineffective against the evil queen's magic. The crowd quiets after this, momentarily stymied, still angry but no longer trying to pound their way through.

Instead they watch, their hard stares sending a shiver down Emma's spine.

Trying her best to ignore them, Emma helps Henry to his feet. He's dirty but undamaged. She realizes just how quiet it is inside the barrier. There is no wind, no sound of birds, no noises from the street. The whole things creeps her out even more and she ushers Henry to the front door.

"Come on kid, let's go get you some clothes."

xxx

Emma doesn't know what to expect when she steps in the grand front doors of the mayor's mansion. Maybe that the inside of the house will have been transformed into some sort of medieval castle? With Regina, now the queen, sitting atop a throne in some ridiculous dress of purple velvet with a high collar?

But no that's Disney, not Storybrooke. Here in Storybrooke the inside of the mansion is the same - vacuous, cold and sterile.

And what she certainly does doesn't expect is to find the mayor standing quietly in the doorway that leads to the kitchen, arms wrapped protectively around her middle. Her black dress pants are wrinkled, the white dress shirt untucked. Her feet are bare.

The mayor looks lost, smaller than usual, regarding them with dark, unreadable eyes.

Henry comes to life, safe now inside his home. He tosses an absent "thanks mom!" over his shoulder as he bounds up the stairs.

Emma doesn't think he realizes what he said, that he still referred to the evil queen as 'mom'. But Regina certainly heard it, and her eyes widen as they follow Henry's retreating figure.

Emma tucks her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. Her eyes flit about the foyer, landing anywhere but on the mayor. Right now Regina doesn't look anything like the woman Emma knows. But she doesn't particularly look like an evil queen either.

Emma wants to gloat, wants to enjoy watching this woman suffer. Isn't it true that Regina brought this upon herself? She's been completely horrible in both worlds. Doesn't she deserve the mob out for her blood?

Emma tries to bring up those feelings. That hatred for this woman, her anger and frustration, her worry for Henry.

Yet this Regina in front of her is so broken. And perhaps Emma is just overwhelmed because she can't seem to find any feelings toward this woman, one way or another.

Henry's feet pound in the upstairs hallway and suddenly Emma can't handle the silence.

"Got anything to drink?" she asks.


	2. Chapter 2

"Got anything to drink?" she asks.

At Emma's words a flicker of something passes over the mayor's eyes. Irritation, perhaps? But without a word she turns and disappears into the kitchen. Emma follows, her boot heels clicking on the cold floor and casting echoes in the large foyer.

In the kitchen Regina draws a small key out of a drawer. She kicks a footstool up to the cabinets, steps on, and then stretches up to unlock a high cupboard.

Emma expects apple cider, but Regina draws down a bottle of red wine. She absently brushes some dust off the label before placing the bottle on the counter. She locks the cupboard again and tucks the key back into the drawer.

"Why wasn't that locked with magic?" Emma is testing the evil queen, trying to figure out the rules in this strangely altered world.

This time the flicker that passes over the Regina's face is definitely one of annoyance, and she still won't meet Emma's eyes.

"There was no magic in this world, remember?" The queen's voice is cold, dry.

"There was a little bit," Emma insists. Then, "Why don't you lock it with magic now?"

"Why would I bother?" the queen scoffs. "A lock and key are good in any realm for things that aren't particularly precious."

Her eyes dart to Emma's briefly, black and hard, before refocusing on the wine in her hands. She draws a corkscrew out of another drawer and peels the wrapping off the neck of the bottle.

She speaks again, her voice softer this time. "I just don't want Henry in the wine."

"Oh." Emma hadn't thought of that.

Regina uncorks the bottle and fills two glasses. She takes one and then moves away to the far side of the kitchen, seemingly putting as much space between herself and 'the savior' as possible.

"Well, go on." The mayor's gesture is curt. Emma realizes that Regina's hands are shaking.

Emma picks up the second glass and brings it to her mouth, but hesitates.

"It's not poisoned, dear." Regina is darkly amused and a small spark creeps into her eyes.

"I didn't think it was," Emma lies and takes a sip.

Regina raises her glass in a toast that Emma doesn't understand, then takes a taste from her own glass.

The wine is dark and smooth, rich in Emma's mouth with a velvety aftertaste. She closes her eyes, focusing on the wine and tuning out everything else – the fact that she's in the mayor's kitchen, that the mayor is really the evil queen from the fairy tales, and the fact that she really was the 'savior' and just hours before had broken the curse described in Henry's book.

Her moment of quiet is broken when Henry comes crashing into the kitchen.

"I'm hungry," he announces before throwing open the door of the refrigerator and pushing the upper half of his body inside.

He's wearing white socks and sneakers, a pair of ratty gym shorts and a hooded sweatshirt. He's wet his hair in the front and brushed it until it's lying flat, but the hair on the back of his head is still standing up in a cowlick from his extended time in the hospital bed.

Emma has never seen him so rumpled, and she realizes that Regina is thinking the same thing. The mayor's eyes are roaming up and down Henry's body and a small frown purses her lips. But she stays quiet, perhaps sensing that her jurisdiction over this child is now tenuous at best.

Henry grabs a jug of milk from the fridge and bangs it down on the counter. There's as clatter as he climbs onto the cupboard to retrieve a bowl and a box of cereal, and then a jangle as he drops a spoon down beside his bowl.

The two women watch silently as he pours his cereal, losing a few flakes on the counter. The splash of milk lands mostly in the bowl. He picks up the bowl and stuffs a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

Mumbling through a mouthful of food, Henry asks, "So what's for dinner?"

xxx

Emma's life has become completely surreal.

They're sitting at Regina's large dining room table eating rubbery eggs and burnt toast. Emma's not much of a cook but no one seems to mind. Regina is mostly pushing the food around her plate but Henry is eating with gusto, debating out loud with himself what Storybrooke will be like now that the curse has been broken.

"Will Archie turn back into a cricket? Or will he stay a man? How do fairy tale creatures live in this world anyways?"

Emma interrupts after catching a snippet of his one-sided conversation. "I'm sorry, cricket?"

She has no idea why she's still here. Why Regina hasn't kicked her out with some snarky remark. Emma figures it must be shock, and she's perched on the edge of her chair waiting for the order to leave. Or for Regina to turn her into a frog. Or something.

"Yes Emma, cricket. Jiminy Cricket, remember?" Henry asks, a little exasperated.

"Oh right." Emma thinks she must be in shock too, because this whole situation somehow seems normal.

Henry turns to face Emma fully. "What about your parents?" he asks. "Are you going to see them soon?"

Emma has no answer for that. It had occurred to her in an abstract sort of way, somewhere between the hospital and the mayor's house, that if James and Snow White are her parents, then David and Mary Margaret are her parents too. Which is just a little too weird to think about at the moment.

Eventually Henry's energy wanes and Emma points him upstairs towards bed. He goes willingly, a sign of how tired he must be. She gathers the remnants of dinner and carries them into the kitchen.

Regina is standing at the sink, her back to Emma, gazing out the window. Emma takes a few tentative steps toward her. Over Regina's shoulder she can see the apple tree in the back yard. Strangely the tree is bare of leaves. Rotting apples litter the ground. It looks like the tree is dead.

"Hey, what happened to your tree?" she asks.

Regina's shoulders stiffen. When she turns, Emma finally sees the mayor in Regina's flashing eyes and curled lip.

"_You_ happened," Regina spits out. "You broke my curse, remember? You killed my tree."

"Sorry," Emma says shrugging. She's not really sorry at all. "I didn't mean to break any curse. It kind of just happened."

"It _just happened_," Regina repeats mockingly. She takes a stiff step away from the window, and then another, moving deliberately into Emma's space.

"It _just happened_. You _just happened_ to waltz into town, steal my son, and break my curse. And you _just happened_ to kill my apple tree."

Emma shrugs again. "Like I said, it kind of just happened."

Regina's hand comes up so quickly that Emma doesn't have time to duck. The slap hits her on the cheekbone, snapping her head to the side.

"Don't you get it?" Regina is shaking now, angry. Borderline hysterical. "Everything I worked so hard for, you took it away. Just like your mother."

Emma's head is bent, hand to her face. She registers the words of the evil queen but it takes her a second to comprehend them.

"Wait, what?" she asks, straightening. "What did my... What did Snow White do to you?"

"She betrayed me." Regina turns away and walks back to the sink.

Emma is angry. "So you took it out on everyone else. Is that the story?" she demands. The flood of emotions that was absent earlier now rushes into her system. She feels her hands begin to shake.

"You destroyed everyone else's lives. You took away all their happy endings, just because you didn't have your own. Isn't that it? That's what the book says." Emma's voice is getting louder, the words and emotions tumbling out faster than she can process.

"Because of you, I didn't get to grow up with my parents. I bounced from foster home to foster home. All because of you. And Henry. My God, Henry! What did he do to deserve being caught up in all this?"

Emma has moved forward during her rant and she suddenly realizes that she's only inches away from the bent back of the mayor who is partially hunched over, leaning into the sink.

When Regina straightens up and turns around, Emma is so close that she can feel Regina's breath on her face. She realizes suddenly that with Regina standing barefoot he's actually taller than the mayor, and she looks down into Regina's dark eyes.

Those dark eyes are pooling with tears, Emma notices.

All of the hate drains out of her when she sees the depth of pain in those eyes, leaving her feeling empty again.

When the mayor finally speaks it is in a broken whisper. "Nothing," she rasps. "Henry did nothing to deserve being caught up in this."

She drops her eyes and slides past Emma, slipping quietly out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma tries to leave but finds she can't get through the barrier. She walks the perimeter of the property, trying to find a way out. But the invisible wall stops her the whole way around.

She reasons that Henry is safe enough for the time being. She doesn't think Regina will harm him, or spirit him away or anything, and he's sleeping in his own bed which has to be good for the kid. She figures she'll try to go home and get a good night's sleep herself.

But sometime during her walk of the perimeter she realizes that "home" means Mary Margaret's apartment, her _mother's_ apartment. Suddenly the thought is awkward and she stops in her tracks, trying to decide what to do.

She's standing in the dark, still pondering the question when she catches a glimpse of movement across the street. There is a man standing in the shadows. She looks more closely and she realizes that there are actually a dozen people, maybe more, just watching.

Their stares are hard, almost blank, so unlike the gentle congeniality that she's learned to associate with the people of the town that she shivers involuntarily. Almost unconsciously she finds herself moving closer to the house, to the sanctuary it represents. The front door is still unlocked so Emma lets herself in. The house is mostly dark but the hall light is still on and its bright glow makes her feel better. She locks the front door behind her, remembering what the mayor had said earlier about a lock and a key.

Not knowing what else to do, Emma wanders past the mayor's office and into a little den, pulling off her boots as she passes from tile floor to lush carpeting. She grabs a throw-blanket off the back of a leather armchair and tosses her jacket in its place. She settles down on the too-small couch and is asleep almost as soon as her eyes slide shut.

xxx

The next day is a strange one. Henry bangs around the house as if nothing unusual is going on. Emma still can't cross the barrier so she makes the best of the day, spending some time with Henry and watching the growing crowd milling across the street with some alarm.

Regina rises late and then drifts ghostlike through the house, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that her arch enemy is spending time with her son, or that a mob is accumulating outside her house demanding her blood.

The attack comes just after lunch. The crowd seems to have reached a critical mass and it surges forward, bodies slamming into the invisible wall. Someone pulls out what looks like a wizard's wand and waves it around a few times, grimacing in frustration when nothing happens.

The barrier holds.

Henry is watching the attack from his upstairs window. Emma is a little concerned that he may be afraid, but he seems impassive, more curious than anything else.

She slips from Henry's room and peers over the banister into the foyer below. Regina is standing in the middle of the room, eyes closed, arms outstretched. She appears to be fighting an invisible battle. Suddenly she flicks her wrist and almost simultaneously Emma hears Henry cry out.

She dashes back down the hall into Henry's room. "What happened?" she demands.

"Look!" He points out the window in excitement.

Emma comes up behind him and sees that the entire mob has been flatted. The townsfolk are lying flat on their backs, toppled over like dominos, stunned expressions on their face.

"She's really powerful!" Henry exclaims, oddly delighted at this fact. "I didn't know she was this powerful!"

The townsfolk being to pick themselves up and the mob disperses quietly.

"You're right kid," Emma sighs. "She's really powerful."

xxx

The next morning Henry wakes Emma up from her slumber on the couch by patting her shin.

"Emma. Emma!" he hisses.

Emma is not much of a morning person, but for Henry's sake she tries to wake up gracefully.

"What is it, kid?" she asks, trying to blink herself awake.

"It's Monday. It's a school day. Am I supposed to go to school? I mean, is there even still school now?"

"I don't know." Emma feels helpless. She can't leave the mayor's property, and she knows nothing about Henry's school apart from the fact that Mary Margaret is a teacher there.

A clear voice rings out, startling them both. "Yes Henry, you still need to go to school."

Emma pushes herself up into a sitting position and wraps the throw blanket around her shoulders. It's not really big enough to sleep with but she's had less in the past.

Regina is dressed in simple slacks and a sweater. In her hand is a brown paper lunch bag.

"Aw, really?" Henry is a little disappointed.

"Yes Henry. Really." Regina waves the lunch bag in his direction.

"Okay." Henry sighs and then tugs Emma up off the couch. "Emma, will you walk me to school?"

Emma is about to agree, as long as she can get past that invisible barrier that is, when Regina favors her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. She's looking more like herself today and Emma looks at her warily.

"Miss Swan is already late for work," Regina announces, her voice sounding slightly smug.

"Work?" Emma's sleep-fogged brain is having a hard time keeping up.

"Yes Sherriff, _work_." Regina is taunting her now. "Or does 'the savior'", she enunciates the title in a mocking tone, "not think she has to work anymore?"

"No. I mean yes. Work. Right." Emma rises to her feet and stretches, taking a deep breath and twisting her torso in an attempt to work out the kink in her back.

She follows Henry toward the front door, intent on making a quick escape, but Regina stops them before they can pass through.

"Henry," Regina says gently, and then places a hand on his shoulder. His eyes close and a moment later he giggles.

Opening his eyes and looking up at Regina in wonder he asks, "What was that?"

"That," Regina announces regally, "will allow you to pass in and out. I can't keep taking the shield down. There are..."

She trails off, shrugging.

Emma wonders how the sentence was going to end. _There are people waiting to rip my head off,_ perhaps? She's glad the mayor didn't finish her thought.

"Now you, Miss Swan."

Regina steps toward Emma tentatively. Emma holds her ground, eyes burning into the mayor.

Regina's gaze flicks away. Her arm comes up, fingers brushing tentatively on Emma's upper arm.

Even through her jacket Emma can feel Regina's touch. At first it's just the soft pressure of fingers, and then a warmth floods through her. Her eyes slide shut reflexively. There is a tingling, like a soft touch, that runs the entire length of her body. She feels warm.

With a start, Emma realizes that she's aroused. Her eyes snap open to meet Regina's dark gaze. Is that a glint of amusement in the dark woman's eyes?

Emma feels her face flush and she takes a quick step back, breaking away from the mayor's touch. The warmth seeps out of her body leaving her feeling empty.

Flustered, she tries to cover her reaction. "Does this mean you want me to come back?" she asks cockily.

"We need milk," Regina announces simply. "And something for dinner. Do try to get something healthy for a growing boy. I assume you're familiar with vegetables?"

Emma narrows her eyes. She can't decide if Regina is teasing her or ordering her around like a servant. She turns to leave.

"Oh and Miss Swan?" Regina adds.

Emma glances back over her shoulder.

"Make sure you get a shower and change your clothes. You've been in that outfit for three days now and the air around here is getting a little rank."

It's too early for this. Emma stomps out the front door, Henry trailing happily behind. They make their way quickly down the front walk and then pause at the barrier.

"Ready kid?" Emma asks.

"Ready," he nods and takes her hand. They step forward together.

Her skin tingles but otherwise she passes through unharmed. Now on the street, Emma glances around warily. There is a single man sitting in the shadows across the road, but he drops his eyes when she looks his way.

"You be careful Henry," she warns him. "Watch your back, okay?"

"Okay," he agrees happily.

Emma reaches out her arms and Henry steps into them for a hug. Almost immediately he pulls back.

"Ew Emma, you _do_ need a shower!" he exclaims.

Emma groans. "Get to school!" She gives him a little push.

She watches him carefully until he rounds the corner, then she turns back to glance at the mansion. She catches a glimpse of Regina's silhouette in one of up the upstairs windows but it disappears from sight almost immediately.

Emma turns toward the center of town. The wind shifts and she catches a whiff of herself on the breeze. She wrinkles her nose in disgust.

"Shower first. Clean clothes. Then work," she announces out loud.

She knows she's late for work, but what is the mayor going to do? Fire her?

The thought makes her laugh out loud.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma is happy to discover that Mary Margaret's apartment is empty when she arrives. It is a school day, after all.

Emma has a quick shower, dresses in clean clothing, and then tosses the rest of her clothes into a duffel bag. Fortunately she always travels light and there's not much for her to pack.

She's halfway out the door when she reverses course. She finds a scrap of paper and a pen and scratches a quick note for Mary Margaret, suddenly feeling like a teenager sneaking out after curfew.

Work is relatively quiet that day, although there is an odd incident where Emma is called in to the little grocery store because one of the stock-boys has been turned into a toad by a frustrated girlfriend. There's not much Emma can do, but she manages to find the girlfriend and convince her to break her spell. Which involves kissing the boyfriend, of course.

While she's at the grocery store she picks up the largest jug of milk she can find, and then spends ten minutes in the produce section agonizing over the vegetables before finally picking out a bag of carrots and a head of lettuce. Emma is more of a burger-and-fries girl herself, but who can go wrong with carrots?

She adds a package of chicken breasts to her basket and heads to the till, hoping to god that Regina can cook because she herself has no idea what to do with raw chicken.

xxx

At the dinner table that night Emma is pleased to note that Regina can indeed cook. In fact she can cook extremely well.

Late that afternoon Emma had passed back through the barrier, felt her breath catch at the tingling sensation, and proudly presented Regina with her bag of groceries. The mayor had rolled her eyes upon discovering the contents of the bag, but had still managed to produce probably the best dinner Emma has had since leaving Boston.

After dinner Regina steers Emma into the kitchen and points her at the sink. Apparently it's her job to clean up the cooking mess.

As Emma loads the dishwasher she watches Regina help Henry with his homework. Regina is a strict task-master, not letting the boy's attention wander for even a second, but she has a far better grasp of grade six mathematics than Emma ever did and Henry completes his homework quickly.

xxx

Over the next few weeks they fall into a sort of domestic bliss that is quite unlike anything Emma has ever experienced. Regina has granted the spare bedroom across from Henry's and she is delighted each morning when she stumbles sleepily out of her room to find a smiling eleven-year-old brushing his teeth in the bathroom down the hall.

Regina meets them in the kitchen in the mornings, sending Henry off to class with a full belly, a packed lunch and a tentative hug goodbye. Emma is handed a cup of coffee and, most mornings, a list to along with it – groceries, toiletries, dry cleaning, bills to pay.

In the evening they sit down to dinner together and Regina asks Henry about his day. He tells her about English class (which he loves), gym class (which he hates), and the pixie dust spilled in the playground at recess.

One night after everyone else has gone to bed Emma discovers the albums with Henry's baby pictures. She flips through the pages in wonder, noting with interest the smile on Regina's tired face as she holds a four-month-old Henry.

She's beginning to realize what's involved in a raising a child. It's exhausting, thankless work. As much as she loves Henry and knows he's a good kid, she finds her patience fraying under his constant requests for her attention. Regina may be firm but she never loses her temper with him, and Emma finds a grudging respect for the other woman beginning to grow.

Emma knows all too well what growing up without the love of an adult can do to a child, and she realizes that the one thing Henry has never been without is love.

About a week after the curse is broken David and Mary Margaret move in together. They realize that they're not actually married in this world and hastily cobble together a large wedding that the whole town attends. Well, most of the town anyway. Snow White's step mother, the evil queen, is conspicuously absent.

As they're saying their vows David glances around as if expecting a dire interruption but the wedding goes forward uneventfully. Henry is the ring-bearer and Emma a very awkward bridesmaid.

With the evil queen holed up in her house, the town as a whole decides they need a new mayor. David runs and wins, leaving poor Sidney in second place yet again.

Emma finds it strange to go into the mayor's office and not see Regina there. She finds it strange that she now works for a man who is, for all intents and purposes, her father. And she finds it strange that the town continues to run as if nothing really has changed.

Mr. Gold is conspicuously absent. No one has seen him since the day the curse was broken. His pawn shop is locked up tight. One night some boys try to break in and find their hands fused to the windowsill. When Emma finds them in the morning, scared and cold, she rushes to fetch the Blue Fairy who first prays for them (which does nothing as far as Emma can tell) and then casts fairy dust over them (which frees them from their bondage).

Emma posts some signs around the pawn shop, but it's clear that Rumpelstiltskin uses more than just a lock and key to protect his belongings and after that the town gives the shop a clear berth.

xxx

Regina has tried something new tonight for dinner involving simmered wine, sun dried tomatoes and linguine pasta. If Emma didn't know better she might think the other woman was nervous, watching anxiously as they try to her dish.

Henry picks out the pasta and buries it parmesan cheese. He's already voiced his complaint, preferring a dinner of hot dogs or macaroni and cheese. Regina has told him somewhat curtly that he needs to develop a more cultured palate and so now he's sulking, pushing the pasta around his plate and making a point of picking out every little piece of tomato with a look of disgust on his face.

Emma, who doesn't particularly have a cultured palate either, tries a bite of the pasta gingerly. Secretly she agrees with Henry. A burger and fries suits her just fine.

But as she samples the dish under Regina's anxious gaze she finds her eyes widening in surprise. It's extremely good - tangy and flavorful, slightly sweet. Hastily she scoops a larger spoonful into her mouth.

A slight smirk curls the corner of Regina's mouth. A month ago Emma wouldn't have noticed, but now she catches the faint warmth in the other woman's dark eyes. The sight causes a strange flutter in her chest.

Flustered and feeling awkward, Emma drops her eyes to her plate and mumbles out, "S'good", before taking another large bite.

Regina folds a few delicate strands of linguine around her fork, but instead of eating she turns to Henry. "How was your day, dear?" she asks him.

Caught playing with his food, Henry shoves a pile of noodles into his mouth and shrugs.

"Well, I can now see that your table manners are genetic," Regina chides him. "And here I thought I was somehow failing as a parent."

Emma flushes and puts down her fork. When she meets Regina's eyes she expects the other woman's expression to be cruel, mocking. But there's a strange fondness on her face.

_She's beautiful._

The startling revelation takes Emma by surprise. She had known that the mayor could be considered pretty, in a cold sort of way. But with her dark hair falling softly around her face and a gentle smile playing around her mouth, Regina is suddenly beautiful.

Perhaps something of the realization is in Emma's eyes because now Regina flushes and looks down at her plate. She brings the fork of food to her mouth.

Emma can't take her eyes off the other woman. Enraptured, she watches Regina's jaw work as she chews her food delicately. She notes the soft skin of Regina's throat as the other woman swallows her bite.

Clearing her throat, Regina turns back to her son.

"Henry?" She catches his attention. "Your day dear. How was it?"

"Okay." He shrugs again.

"How was your spelling test?"

"Okay."

"And what happened in the classroom after lunch with that boy?"

Henry freezes, and then hunches his shoulders and drops his eyes to his lap.

"Henry?" Emma asks in alarm.

He shrugs and mumbles something unintelligible.

"Henry, what happened?" Emma demands. "Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

She starts to reach out to him but Regina shakes her head. Emma's hand falls back into her lap.

"Henry," Regina says softly. "Look at me." Her voice is firm but gentle. Henry raises his head slowly and meets her eyes.

"Why did you take that boy's pencil kit?"

Henry shrugs and drops his eyes.

"Look at me Henry," Regina requests firmly. "Why the pencil kit?"

The words come out in a rush. "I was trying to finish my drawing of Snow White for Mrs. Nolan but my pencil broke and I asked to borrow one but Jacob wouldn't give it to me because he wants to be Mrs. Nolan's favorite but she's my grandmother and I just wanted to draw her a picture..."

"So you took his pencil kit?"

Henry's head falls again. "Uh huh."

"Henry, I put twelve new pencils in your school bag. They're all sharp. Tomorrow you will give Jacob his pencil kit back and you will apologize."

"Okay." Henry sighs. "May I please be excused?"

"Finish your pasta first," Regina chides him. Then, a little softer, "You can leave the tomatoes."

Henry's eyes are still downcast so he misses the fond look on Regina's face. But Emma sees it her heart flutters. She finds herself wanting to trace the fine lines around the corners of Regina's mouth.

_Damnit, no!_ Emma tells herself. _Evil queen, evil queen. _

She repeats the mantra in her head, but the title now feels more affectionate than anything else. Taking a deep breath she forces her attention back to her dinner. Somehow she manages to get through the rest of the meal without looking up from her plate.

By the time Henry has painstakingly picked out all the tomato bits and finished his pasta his mood has lifted considerably. Dropping his cutlery on his mostly-empty plate, he dashes upstairs to finish his drawing.

Emma is clearing the dishes and Regina is spooning the leftover pasta into a tupperware container for Emma's lunch the next day. Emma has never eaten so well in her entire life. She ponders the past half hour as she stacks the plates. _Regina is a good mom_, she realizes. _But, hang on..._

"Regina," Emma asks suddenly. "How did you know about the pencil case?"

Regina pauses, a spoonful of pasta halfway to the container.

"I mean, you couldn't have known unless Mary Margaret told you, but I don't think she knew either. Did she?" Emma purposefully leaves out the fact that even if Henry's teacher had known of the incident, she never would have contacted Regina about it.

"No..." Regina draws the word out. Then she sighs, delivers the scoop of pasta into the container, puts the spoon down and strides out of the kitchen.

Emma sets the plates on the counter and follows the dark-haired woman into the foyer. Regina stops in front of large, gold-edged mirror. Most of the things in Regina's house are in pristine condition, but this mirror is a little banged up, as if it may have been repaired at some point in the past, and Emma has always wondered why it hasn't been replaced.

Emma stops about four feet behind Regina, catching the other woman's dark gaze in the reflection. Regina looks unsure of something. Her lower lip is caught between her teeth in a gesture that reminds Emma of small child.

Regina apparently makes up her mind because she nods and releases her lip from between her teeth. Emma has a fleeting thought of soothing the other woman's lip, but the thought flies from her head when Regina raises her hand and suddenly her reflection is gone from the mirror.

The surface of the mirror is cloudy for a moment, as if covered in steam, then it clears.

They're looking at Henry.

He's sitting cross-legged on the floor of his room, the contents of his backpack spread around him. The twelve new pencils that Regina gave him are sitting on the floor, carefully lined up by his left knee. Emma notes a random assortment of other items scattered around him including two small rocks, a bent straw, a penny, and a handful of assorted wrappers and bits of crumpled paper. The contents of an eleven-year-old boy's backpack.

The half-finished portrait of Snow White lies on the floor beside the pencils. In his hands Henry is holding a Spiderman pencil case that has the name 'JACOB' spelled out on it in large, block letters. He's worrying his lower lip with his teeth in a gesture much like Regina's. After a moment he nods and puts the pencil case back into his bag.

He carefully chooses one of the new pencils, gathers his drawing, and then the view in the mirror is jerky as he stands up and leaves his room. His footsteps sound in the hallway upstairs. Regina hastily waves her hand across the mirror in a wiping motion and Emma is once again staring at dark eyes and a guarded expression.

She catches her own reflection beside Regina's and makes a point of closing her gaping mouth. Regina remains facing the mirror, her eyes boring into Emma's image on its surface.

"Do you think it's creepy?" Regina demands.

"Wha...? Creepy?" Emma asks, still slightly shocked at this new glimpse of the other woman's powers. She ponders the question.

Regina has always been a slightly overbearing mother so she finds that she's not surprised by this. It suddenly occurs to her that Regina is a prisoner of sorts, trapped inside the house by her own barrier. If she were to leave she would surely be lynched by a mob of her former subjects. This is probably the only way she has to stay a part of Henry's life.

"No," Emma says slowly. "I don't think it's creepy. I think it means you care."

Regina flushes slightly and looks down.

"Wait," Emma says. "You don't ever watch _me_ in this thing, do you?"

The flush deepens.

Emma feels herself starting to get angry.

Then in another flash of insight she realizes that it means Regina cares about her too. The evil queen actually cares about her, Emma Swan. A rush of affection floods her and she fights to keep the pleased grin off her face. Forcing a stern expression, she raises her finger and points at Regina's reflection.

"Just don't watch me when I'm in the bathroom. Or changing. Or, you know... eating."

Regina has recovered enough to smirk back at her. "You mean because you eat like a pig?"

"Whatever," Emma replies. "Just don't watch me when I'm doing those things. Okay?"

"Okay," Regina replies, the smirk fading into a gentle smile.

She turns around to meet Emma's eyes directly. Emma finds herself moving forward, heart pounding in her ears. She is drawn in to the vulnerability in Regina's dark gaze.

Regina dips her head slightly and looks up at Emma through dark lashes. Emma feels her heart catch painfully in her chest.

_I'm going to kiss her_, she thinks. _God help me, I'm going to kiss the evil queen..._

Henry's footsteps come thundering down the stairs.

Emma jumps, startled, and takes a few hasty, stumbling steps backward. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Regina, flushed again, smoothing her hands down the front of her blouse.

Henry's voice rings out in the foyer. "Mom! Emma! Come see my drawing of Snow White!"


	5. Chapter 5

Emma is standing in the middle of the road, slack-jawed with shock. In front of her is a giant bean stalk growing out of a crack in the pavement. A very large man is standing beside the bean stalk, bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"JACK!" the large man is yelling. "Jack, you get back here!"

He is storming up and down the street, large arms flailing wildly. A passerby ducks out of his way while the shop-keeper who called Emma looks at her beseechingly.

"Sir?" Emma calls out. "Sir, can I talk to you a moment?"

The man lumbers past her and Emma ducks to avoid a swinging fist. While she prides herself on being tough, this man could flatten her with one hand.

The giant picks up the mailbox on the corner and hurtles it across the street. "Jack!" he bellows again.

The shop keeper shoots Emma a glare and ducks inside, slamming his door behind him.

"Screw this," Emma mutters under her breath.

As the town's sheriff, dealing with altercations like this is her responsibility. She wonders what on earth she's supposed to do in this situation. She has no deputy to call for backup. She has no magic at her disposal.

"Regina, where are you when I need you?" she asks out loud.

A sudden brush of warm air across her cheek raises the hair on the back of her neck. There's that familiar tingling, and a warmth that spreads through her body.

"Regina?" she asks again.

When there is no answer, Emma feels stupid for thinking that Regina would be spending her time watching over a sheriff on the job. The large man is lumbering back in her direction, moving surprisingly quickly for a man of such girth. _Come on Swan, figure this out._

There's an itch on her left cheek and Emma raises a hand to scratch it. Her eyes fall on an axe propped up against the side of a building. _Who leaves an axe lying around?_ she wonders.

The axe slips from her mind as she focuses again on the problem at hand. She starts to turn back to the large man when she feels a sharp pain in her cheekbone.

"Ow!" She spins around, trying to see what hit her. Her eyes fall on the axe again.

"Seriously?" she moans.

A few quick strides and the axe is in her hands. She moves tentatively towards the beanstalk growing out of the pavement.

The first strike of the blade cuts neatly into the stem of the overgrown plant. Emma has one eye on the giant, half expecting him to interfere, but he sits down on the edge of the sidewalk with a heavy sigh and watches her work.

She's about halfway through the stem when a boy of around thirteen comes running down the street.

"Hey!" he calls out in a panicked voice. "Hey, don't do that!"

Emma's shoulders are aching and she's glad for the excuse to take a break. She rests the head of the axe on the pavement and leans on the handle.

"Listen kid, there's a plant growing in the middle of the street. I need to get it out of here."

"But you can't do that!" The boy's voice is breaking.

"Just watch me," she replies and starts to lift the axe again.

"Wait!"

Emma lets the axe fall again. She favors the boy with an impatient look. Suddenly a large hand lands on the boy's shoulder. He gulps visibly and his shoulders slump.

"Jack." The giant's voice is deep and rumbling.

Emma quirks an eyebrow. This is going to be interesting.

"It's, uh... This is my science experiment. You know, for, like, school?" The boy's voice raises at the end of his statement. Emma may not have the kind of magic that now exists in Storybrooke, but she knows when someone is lying. And apparently so does the giant because his large hand tightens on the boy's shoulder.

"Try again," Emma tells him.

The boy sighs, then turns and looks up at the large man beside him.

"Sorry Dad," he says, hanging his head.

Emma's eyes widen at this new discovery.

"I told you not to touch my seeds, boy." The large man shakes his son.

"I just wanted to try one," the boy whines. "You never let me touch the beans stalks!"

"In the middle of the street?" his father demands.

"It fell out of my pocket." The boy looks down and shuffles his feet. "I'm really sorry, Dad."

"What, uh..." Emma clears her throat and tries again. "What is that thing?"

The giant doesn't look like he's going to answer. Emma shifts so that her Sheriff badge catches the sun.

"I grow beans," he tells her finally.

"Duh," Emma replies.

"Large beans. With healing properties. People pay a lot for them. Whole bags of gold. And they trade me things. Granny gave me her best hen yesterday."

"And the harp Dad! Don't forget about the harp!" the boys exclaims.

"The nuns gave me a harp last week when one of my beans helped to cure Sneezy's bronchitis. It makes a beautiful melody." His voice is oddly wistful.

"But Jack here," he gives his son another gentle shake, "likes to climb on my plants with his friends. Breaks the stalks. He's not supposed to go near them anymore."

"I just wanted a plant of my own." Jack looks sheepish. "I could have traded the beans for all sorts of things in the schoolyard!"

"Well, okay then," Emma says. "I guess there's no harm done."

She glances up and down the street. "Apart from the plant growing in the middle of the road. And, uh... the mailbox."

Now the giant looks sheepish. "Sorry 'bout that. Lost my temper, I guess. How about Jack finishes cutting down the plant and I'll put the mailbox back?"

"What about the damage to the road?" Emma asks.

"Well, here," the large man says. He reaches into his jacket and draws out a small draw-string bag which he tosses to Emma. It's heavy in her hands when she catches it.

Peering inside, Emma asks incredulously, "Are those gold coins?"

"They sure are. That should pay for someone to fix the road."

The giant takes off his hat and dips his head to Emma. "Sorry 'bout the trouble, Sheriff. We'll clean this up."

The giant nudges his son in the back and Jack steps forward to take the axe from Emma.

She shrugs, nods, and hands over the axe. On her walk back to the Sheriff station she amuses herself by tossing the heavy bag of coins into the air and catching it as it comes down. The bag lands in her hand with a satisfying weight and a heavy clinking sound.

xxx

When Emma breezes in the door she finds Regina in the kitchen standing over a pot roast. The dark eyes rise to meet her and Emma notices suddenly how tired Regina looks. Her face appears gaunt and the lines around her mouth look deeper than normal.

Then Regina's lips twist into a trademark smirk and Emma thinks maybe she was imaging things.

"How did it go with the giant, dear?" Regina asks.

"Fine. Thanks for your help."

Regina nods, gratified, dark eyes flashing with mirth.

"But next time can you be a little more gentle?" Emma rubs her cheek which still feels bruised from the phantom touch.

"Next time listen to me the first time," Regina counters, "and I won't have to be so rough."

"You like it a little rough, do you?" The words are out of Emma's mouth before she can stop them.

Regina's eyes widen and Emma feels a moment of smug pride at startling the other woman.

Regina recovers quickly. "Wouldn't you like to know," she rasps. Her smoldering gaze makes Emma's pulse quicken.

_Oh my god, she's actually flirting with me. _Emma can hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She's caught between the pull towards the other woman and her instinct to flee.

Regina lifts her knife to the roast.

"Ouch!" The exclamation is sharp and sudden and Emma rushes to the other woman's side, all previous thoughts of flirting flying from her head.

The knife clatters to the counter and Regina brings her finger to her mouth.

"Let me see," Emma demands gently.

Regina shakes her head. Her brows are drawn together in pain, dark hair falling over her face.

Emma grabs Regina's wrist, ignoring the tingle that shoots through her fingers at the softness of the other woman's skin. Has she ever touched this woman before with anything but anger?

Gently she draws Regina's finger out of her mouth.

"Oh my god Regina, it's really bad!" Emma exclaims. The cut is deep and gaping, bleeding freely, and Emma swallows the sudden nausea that rises when she sees the flapping edges of the wound.

"You need stitches," she notes in a panic. She knows Regina can't leave the house and her breath catches at the thought. Would anyone in town be willing to help the Evil Queen?

"Regina, you really need to see a doctor." Her mind is spinning. "Wait, I know, I'll go back to that guy and get some of his magic beans! Those will help, right?" She looks at Regina hopefully.

Regina takes a deep breath and seems to compose herself. "No need, dear." Her voice is shaking and she's very white, but she draws herself up and gently extracts her damaged hand from Emma's tight grip.

Regina splays the fingers of her good hand and waves them gently over the cut. Emma swears she can see the skin folding itself together again and she takes a deep breath, both nauseated and fascinated at the same time.

When the cut is closed Regina moves to the sink and runs her hand under cold water, washing away the blood. She holds up a pink, undamaged finger for Emma to see.

"See? Good as new."

Emma lets out a shaky laugh. "God Regina, that's a cool trick."

Regina smiles, but Emma is struck once again by how weary she looks.

xxx

Dinner that night is subdued. Henry tries to engage the women in conversation but his efforts all fall flat.

Emma struggles to swallow the bite of pork roast in her mouth. She can't get the image of Regina's bloody gash out of her head and the texture of the meat is making her gag.

Henry, frustrated with the lack of response from the adults at the table, finally drops his fork with a clatter.

"What happened?" he asks. "Did you guys fight or something?"

Emma finds herself spilling the tale of Regina's injury, but is careful to leave out her worries about the reactions of the townsfolk should Regina ever need to seek help.

Henry is ecstatic.

"Mom, that's so cool!" he exclaims. "I never thought about healing! Can you heal broken bones? What about arthritis? Granny has arthritis, and maybe if you helped her she wouldn't be so mad at you."

He pauses for a moment, then continues. "What about all the other patients in the hospital. Can you help them? Mom, you could be a savior too!"

Regina's voice is weary. "I can't save the whole town Henry," she sighs.

"But Mom, why not?" Henry demands hopefully.

"Henry." Regina slips into lecture mode. "All magic comes with a price. Usually that price is energy. The energy can come from the person creating the magic, or can be drawn from any other living thing. That shield around our house? That takes a lot of energy. I don't really have much left for anything else..."

And suddenly Emma realizes why Regina is looking thinner than ever these days. Why there are dark circles under her eyes and why she's going to bed earlier and earlier each night.

"Can you take energy from me?" Emma asks curiously.

Regina's eyes snap to her face, sharp and calculating, and Emma feels a flash of trepidation. _Don't temp the Evil Queen, Swan!_

But then Regina's expression changes and she shakes her head.

"No," she says sharply. "The repercussions... Well, as I said, all magic comes with a price."

"But isn't there any way...?" Emma's voice trails off. She's starting to worry, because some day soon Regina is going to run out of energy and then the barrier will fall. And then there will be nothing to protect Regina from the angry townsfolk except for a lone sheriff with no magical abilities.

Regina's expression shifts again and a sparkle of mischief appears in her eyes.

"There actually are a number of ways two people can make energy together," she grins.

Emma looks at her blankly. Regina lifts an eyebrow and suddenly Emma gets it. A rush of heat floods her face.

"What? How?" Henry demands.

"Never mind, dear," Regina tells him. She points to his plate. "Finish your supper, Henry. Then it's time to start on your homework."

"But Mom," he whines.

"No Henry. Miss Swan can't help me with that kind of energy," she tells him.

_Yes I can!_ Emma wants to shout.

But the subject is closed.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry about the delay folks. I received some feedback that I felt I had to incorporate, which added an extra chapter, which then turned into three chapters and an altered outline. Whoops. Darned muse. Hopefully the end product will be worth the wait... Cheers, DK.

xxxxxx

Emma is rushing home after work when she hears her name being called. She slows her steps but doesn't stop moving as Mary Margaret, or Snow White as she's calling herself now, falls into step beside her.

"Emma, Emma wait!" Snow White exclaims. She's out of breath, flustered, and for a moment she sounds like the woman that Emma knew as her roommate, as her friend.

But then Emma glances sideways at her and it's clear that this isn't Mary Margaret. Her hair is longer, brushing her shoulders in dark curls. And her face is harder, much stronger than it was before the curse was broken.

Emma offers an awkward smile and comes to a stop, adjusting the dry cleaning in her hands so it's a little easier to hold.

She doesn't know why Regina still insists on wearing perfectly pressed pants. Emma finds herself at the dry cleaners at least once a week to keep Regina in clean, wrinkle-free clothing. She's tried to talk Regina into a pair of jeans, but that little fantasy doesn't look like it's coming true any time soon.

Snow White stomps her foot none-too-gently, interrupting Emma's musings. It's not a petulant act, but rather meant to draw attention, the sound of her boot heel connecting loudly with the pavement.

"Emma! What's going on with you!"

Emma snaps her attention back to the woman standing in front of her. The woman who is supposed to be her mother. The woman she's been avoiding.

She gives Snow White an awkward smile.

"Hi. I'm fine. Nothing's going on."

Emma drops her eyes nervously, her gaze landing on the other woman's shirt collar. She notes that the blouse is a lot less conservative than what the school teacher would have worn before the curse was broken. There's actually a hint of cleavage showing.

Then she realizes that she's looking at her mother's cleavage and she cringes.

When she looks up, Snow White's brown eyes are boring deeply into hers. There's concern in them, but not much sympathy.

"Your father and I were beginning to wonder if you were avoiding us. Are you? Avoiding us?"

"No. I've just been… busy." The excuse sounds lame even to Emma's ears.

"Well, I'm sure there's time in your _busy sheriff schedule_ for dinner with your parents. Right?"

Emma cringes again. "Ah, sure."

"Great!" Snow White smiles, pleased. "Saturday night. Our place. We'll cook. Just bring yourself."

"Great," Emma echoes weakly.

xxx

Saturday evening finds Emma standing on James and Snow White's door step. She actually hasn't been to visit them since they moved in and she feels a flash of guilt. If this was David and Mary Margaret, she would have been over a dozen times by now. The fact that these people are her parents actually makes the whole thing worse.

But what does Emma know? She's never had parents before.

She rings the door bell and steps back to look at their home.

It's painted white, a plain little house on a plain little street, with one exception. The upper floor appears to have a little nook surrounded by windows that look out to the street. From the inside it would probably be a perfect corner for reading. From the outside, it has a little pointed roof and it looks like...

"Is that a turret?" Emma asks herself, bemused.

Trust Snow White and Prince Charming to find the only house in the neighborhood with a vague resemblance to a castle.

The door opens and Emma's stomach lurches nervously.

James is smiling at her from the doorway. He's wearing jeans, a flannel shirt, and a little apron that suggests he's helping with the cooking. He sticks out an awkward hand and when Emma takes it, he pulls her into a stiff hug.

He waves her inside. The smile on his face is genuine, but his gestures are clumsy, overly large, and Emma realizes that he's just as nervous as she is.

Their visit is awkward at first, but Emma begins to relax as she realizes that these two people have a genuine interest in her. They're curious about how her job is going and what it's like for her to be spending more time with Henry.

Emma learns that Henry has been calling his teacher 'Grandma' outside of class hours and the thought makes her smile. She's not quite ready to use the word 'mother' yet, not sure she'll ever be ready, but 'grandma' is okay.

Emma begins to relax.

"So what has you so busy these days?" Snow White asks. She appears to be taking Emma's earlier excuses about her busy schedule at face value and Emma feels somewhat bad about that.

"Well, work has been pretty busy," Emma tells her. "And Henry. You know, homework and stuff. We went shopping last weekend for new clothes. He's growing so fast."

The smile on Snow White's face is proudly maternal, and a little too gooey for Emma's tastes.

"You're a good mother, Emma," Snow White tells her. "Henry is doing really well in school. He's more focused, and his homework is always done on time with lots of attention."

"Well, actually," Emma offers, "Regina helps Henry with his homework. But I'm glad it's going well."

Emma feels a familiar rush when she mentions Regina's name. She's sure her face is red, but she never gets to talk about the dark-haired woman with anyone but Henry and she jumps at the opportunity. The words come tumbling from her mouth.

"It's been really great. Regina had a great idea for his social studies project last week and we all worked on it together. He does seem more engaged, doesn't he?

"In fact, Regina's been repairing furniture. Restoring these antique chairs, you know? Henry tried to help last night, but he wound up completely covered in some sort of oil goop. So mostly it's just Regina. Our house stinks all the time, but it's still pretty cool…"

Emma's voice trails off as she notices Snow White's face. The proud smile is gone, replaced by a tight-lipped frown. Her eyes are hard.

"Emma, about that," Snow White speaks in a careful tone of voice. "Why are you living with Regina?"

Belatedly Emma realizes what she just said, and what it adds up to.

It's true that she now thinks of the mansion as 'home'. She hasn't considered the full implications of that yet and now isn't the time to think about it, not with Snow White and James looking at her with their concerned, parental eyes.

"Because that's where Henry is," Emma offers as an excuse. It's partially true at least. Henry is a factor, but he's not the only factor.

She curses herself for letting her guard down. These are not her friends, these are her parents. And her parents have a long-standing confrontational history with the Evil Queen.

"Surely you and Henry can get a new place though?" Snow White asks. "Your salary isn't that bad, is it?"

She turns to her husband. "James, maybe you could give Emma a raise?"

James seems to be contemplating the question.

"No. Mary Margaret… Snow White, James - no." Emma exclaims, embarrassed. "My salary is just fine."

"Emma, the whole town is talking about it. You're their savior, so that buys you a lot of leeway, but people are starting to wonder what you're doing with the… with Regina," Snow White corrects herself.

Emma shrugs. What's she supposed to say to that?

"You're not…" Snow White considers her words carefully. "You're not… involved with her… Are you?"

The words that come out of Emma's mouth are immediate and defensive. "Ew, no! Mary Margaret! No!"

She feels guilty immediately.

Guilty about lying, and guilty about the implications to Regina. It's true that they're not involved, not really. Emma has no idea what the other woman would say about the idea, but she recognizes that her words were rather harsh.

They seem to have served their purpose however, because Snow White sighs in relief and her face relaxes again. She doesn't seem to notice Emma's turmoil or the flush on her face.

"That's good to know. I just wondered... I mean, I couldn't figure out why you would be living with her otherwise."

Emma considers her words more carefully this time and, after a moment, picks out a half-truth. "It's Henry. So much has changed, I didn't want him to lose his whole life."

The reasoning sounds flimsy even to her own ears, but there's that gooey smile on Snow White's face again.

The Snow White in Henry's book was a bad ass, tough and determined. She's glad that this Snow White has a soft spot for her family, because she doesn't think even sweet Mary Margaret would have let her get away with that excuse.

But it seems to be enough to satisfy her parents, and with a sigh of relief Emma quickly turns the conversation to other matters.

xxx

By the time Emma gets home it's close to midnight.

They don't bother to lock the front door anymore, not with the barrier surrounding the house. Emma recalls what Regina said all those weeks ago about locks and keys. It's true that a lock and key can keep many things safe, but magic is better. And Emma happens to live with the most powerful witch in all of Storybrooke.

The thought causes a brief smirk to flit across her face.

She opens the front door quietly and slips inside, sliding her boots off so they won't make noise on the hard tile. She's expecting everyone to be long asleep so she's surprised by the light shining from Regina's office. She pads across the foyer in socked feet and peers around the door frame.

Regina is sitting behind her massive desk, a pile of paperwork strewn in front of her. The sleeves of her white dress shirt are rolled up to her elbows and she's concentrating hard on the document in front of her.

A little too hard, actually. Emma grins. Has Regina been waiting up for her?

She leans her weight casually against the door frame and clears her throat. When Regina glances up she gives the dark-haired woman a smile.

"Hi. How was your night?" She's happy to be home, happy to be standing in Regina's office, happy to see the dark-haired woman.

Regina sets down her pen and Emma admires the lean muscles flexing in her forearms. She feels herself relaxing, her body lightening in anticipation of an interaction with this woman who is becoming more important to her life each day.

It takes Emma a moment to notice that the look on Regina's face is not particularly friendly.

"Miss Swan." Regina's voice is curt as she pushes back her chair and stands up. "How was dinner with your _parents_?" There is a slight sneer to the last word that doesn't go unnoticed.

"It was okay. Awkward, you know? I'm glad to be home." Emma smiles again, trying to figure out what feels off about this situation.

"Well now that you're here you may begin packing." Regina rounds the desk and stands facing Emma, her eyes shuttered, her face cold.

"I'm sorry – what?" Emma asks in shock. The feeling of comfort vanishes.

Regina is wearing heels - narrow, high, uncomfortable heels. The shoes make her taller than usual and Emma pushes off the doorway and straightens up, unconsciously trying to reduce the height differential.

"Packing, Miss Swan. All your crap." Regina moves into Emma's space, her deadly heels clicking coldly on the floor. "It's time for you to move on."

"But... why?" Emma sputters. She's hasn't felt this out of control, this unsafe around Regina in a long time. "Is this because I had dinner with David and Mary Margaret?"

"Henry is not to be pitied," Regina says darkly. She turns away and tosses a final statement over her shoulder. "And neither am I."

Long strides carry the angry woman quickly out of the room, leaving Emma standing alone in the brightly lit office with just the faintest hint of Regina's perfume lingering in the air.

Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Emma flips the light switch absent-mindedly, plunging herself into darkness. Her chest is tight and her hands are shaking. She feels tears stinging her eyes but refuses to let them fall. _What the fuck just happened?_

This is her home, here with Henry. And yes, with Regina too. She's never really had a home before, and now that she has one she is loathe to give it up. A home is more than a house, it's the people in it too. Emma doesn't want to give the people up either, neither one of them.

As her eyes adjust to the faint moonlight filtering through the window, Emma wracks her brain trying to figure out where things went so suddenly wrong.

And then it hits her.

She spins around and sprints for the stairs, blonde hair flying.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: So apparently cliff-hangers are evil. Huh. ;p

xxxxxxxxxxx

The master bedroom is at the end of the upstairs hallway. Regina usually keeps the door to her bedroom closed and tonight is no exception. There is no light shining from under the door and Emma pauses for a moment, wondering how to proceed.

She knows she screwed up, although quite frankly Regina has screwed up too. Emma wants to put this right. She gathers her courage and raises her hand to knock softly on the door.

There's no answer. She knocks again, a little louder, and then announces softly, "Regina, I'm coming in," before grasping the door knob in her hand and turning it gently.

She half-expects the door to be locked, or magically sealed somehow, but it's not. The handle turns easily in her hand and she pushes the door open and steps into the bedroom.

Regina is sitting on the bed, bathed in moonlight streaming in through a big bay window. Her knees are together, her hands in her lap. She's removed her shoes and her bare feet look oddly vulnerable in the moonlight, toes curling into a patterned rug beside the bed.

She looks up at Emma through dark, wild hair. Her eyes flash darkly in the dim light and Emma notices that there are tears on her cheeks.

Regina seems to realize this at about the same time and brings up an impatient hand to swipe them away. She stands and shakes off her vulnerability, leaving behind an angry, dangerous woman.

"Get out." Regina's voice is flat.

"No." Emma comes all the way into the room and shuts the door behind her. Knowing Regina, she has a feeling this could get loud and she doesn't want to wake Henry.

Regina's face registers a moment of shock at Emma's insolence but she recovers quickly. Her eyes are ruthless as she rotates her wrist and a ball of... something... appears in her hand.

_Oh shit. _Emma rocks onto the balls of her toes, ready to duck or leap out of the way. _Way to piss of the Evil Queen, Swan._

But she's here to say something and she needs to say it. Adrenaline is rushing through her veins and she can hear her heart thumping hard in her chest. Ready for a fight.

But she's not here to fight.

Emma raises her hands in an attempt to placate the other woman. "Regina, wait. I owe you an apology."

Regina lifts the ball of energy, balancing it at shoulder height. It's giving off crackling sparks now, casting eerie shadows on her face. Emma backs away nervously until her shoulders hit the wall behind her.

This woman isn't the Regina she knows. It's not even the mayor.

No, this is _The Evil Queen_, the one from Henry's stories, the one who killed own father in cold blood and cursed an entire land.

Emma has no idea how to reach her, but has to try and the words come stumbling from her mouth.

"I think you were watching me at James and Snow White's house tonight. And I think you heard me say something. Something that isn't true." She's feeling desperate, pleading silently for Regina to listen to her.

"Snow White caught me off guard and I did what I guess any kid does with her parents – I lied. So I'm sorry if you heard that and it made you feel... bad..." Emma takes a deep breath and continues, "But you shouldn't have been listening either! That was a private conversation!"

Regina's arm drops and the ball of energy falls to the floor, landing with a crackle. It fizzles out quickly, leaving behind a faint smell of smoke and ozone.

Emma breathes a sigh of relief, but her respite is a short one.

Regina advances quickly, placing one foot carefully in front of the other, hips swaying. Emma is mesmerized until she looks up into Regina's cold eyes.

"You lied." The harsh whisper echoes in Emma's head. A nasty smile twists the corner of Regina's mouth. "Just like your mother. She promised to keep a secret, but she lied too."

And suddenly Emma's had enough.

She's never been bright about avoiding trouble, in fact she often finds herself meeting it face on. And this is no exception. The trepidation fades to anger and she takes a step forward, putting herself directly in the other woman's face.

"Regina!" she exclaims. "That's enough! That's old news. I mean, _really_ _old news_. Time to let it go. I've heard what happened, you know. Snow White didn't kill Daniel, your mother did. And I'm sorry, I know that's a really crappy thing for a mother to do, but it's time to let it go!"

Regina flinches when Daniel's name crosses Emma's lips. Her hands come up and she shoves Emma. Hard.

Emma's skull meets the wall with a loud thud.

Regina is coming at her again and she raises her own hands and pushes back. They scramble, pushing against each other, vying for the upper hand. Emma's going to have bruises on her arms, and probably one on the back of her head too.

This isn't the first time Regina has come at her with fists flying, but it's the first time they've been so unevenly matched. This time Emma actually cares whether she injures Regina or not, but Regina seems to be out for blood.

It doesn't take long before Regina overpowers her, pinning her against the wall. The dark-haired woman is breathing heavily, leaning into her.

Emma concedes. She stuffs down the instinct to fight that is screaming for release and forces her body to relax under Regina's touch. She can feel Regina's breath puffing against her face, can feel Regina's heart beating furiously against her own.

Emma looks into Regina's eyes and sees pain. Anger. Betrayal.

"Yes, I lied. But not to you," she says softly.

When there's no change, just those dark, hurt eyes boring into hers, she tries again.

"It's not _ew_. In fact it's... well, it's kind of the opposite of ew, actually." There, she's said it. She takes a deep breath and waits for the evil queen to strike her down.

One heart beat. Another.

Then Regina is pulling away, ever so slightly. Her mouth is twisting into that nasty smile again. Smug. In control.

"Is this what you wanted, dear?" she asks with a smirk.

And then her mouth is on Emma's. Hard, demanding. Her teeth cut into Emma's lip and against her will Emma finds herself responding. She falls into Regina, tongues clashing. She can taste blood in her mouth.

Then Emma is pushing her away.

"No, Regina. Not like this." She runs the back of her hand against her lower lip and it comes away bloody. "Not ever like this," she repeats.

The look on Regina's face morphs into fury, the fury of a woman scorned.

"Well what is it you want then, dear?" Regina's words are biting. "Henry? Because you can't have him. You may be the savior, but Henry is mine."

"This isn't about Henry." Emma sighs. Why does she always fall for the damaged ones? Is that part of her being the 'savior'? Does it mean she has to save every lost soul she meets along the way?

"Well then?" Regina demands.

"It's about you. I just want you." Emma's words are soft, tentative.

Regina doesn't respond, but she doesn't pull away either. She appears to be listening so Emma continues.

"I want you. Not Mayor Mills of Storybrooke. Not some queen from a fairy tale. Just you. Regina." Emma brings gentle fingers to Regina's face and brushes her cheek. This is the second time she's touched Regina in anything but anger.

A shudder ripples through Regina's body and she seems to fold in on herself, collapsing against Emma.

Emma brings her arms around the smaller woman and supports her weight. Regina's head is buried against her shoulder and she can feel the other woman shaking, can feel her body convulsing with gut-wrenching sobs.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Rating has been changed from Teen to Mature. This got slightly more graphic than I'd anticipated...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emma's never been great at providing emotional support. It's just not her thing. But for Regina she will stand here forever, her back against the wall, a crying woman in her arms.

Gradually Regina stops shaking and her breathing calms. She pulls away and Emma lets her go. Head down, Regina slips from of Emma's arms and crosses the bedroom, heading for what Emma realizes is an en suite bathroom.

Emma can hear the sound of water running and a nose blowing. She stands against the wall where Regina left her. The adrenaline has drained from her system leaving her feeling tired and emotionally worn out. Her legs are trembling slightly but she doesn't move, still somewhat unsure of her welcome.

As she waits for Regina her eyes cast around the bedroom. The moonlight is still streaming in the window, casting deep shadows on the furniture. Regina's shoes lie discarded on the area rug by the bed. The room is full of paintings and flowers but it's impersonal, more like a high-end hotel room than a space that's lived in every day. A clock ticks quietly on the mantle.

Emma can vaguely make out a picture of Henry as a toddler on Regina's bed side table, his round face turned up towards the camera. The photo appears to be the only personal item in the otherwise luxurious but sterile room.

A few moments later Regina is back. Emma studies her face in the dim light. She tries to discern the other woman's mood but she can't get a good read. The moonlight shines on Regina's dark hair and Emma finds herself offering up an outstretched hand.

Regina ignores it and steps lightly into Emma's space. Her eyes search Emma's face and Emma lets her hand fall to her side.

Regina lifts her fingers and gently touches them to Emma's lower lip. The stinging pain disappears as Regina heals the cut. Emma licks the last of the blood from her lip.

Those same fingers gently brush Emma's ribs, arms and shoulders, and then curve around the side of her head. The touch is gentle, almost soft enough to tickle. Emma is only aware of the pain from her bruises as it recedes, leaving her ever more tired than before.

When the healing is complete Regina takes a small step away. Emma misses the other woman's hands on her body.

The dark eyes are opaque, unreadable. Emma gives her some time, but when nothing happens she decides it's her move.

She leans forward and kisses Regina.

At first there is no response. She's about to pull away, defeated, when she feels Regina's mouth begin to slowly respond. She places a tentative hand on the other woman's waist and pulls Regina gently forward.

Emma's heart is pounding in her chest.

Doesn't the Evil Queen steal hearts? If she does, she practically has Emma's already, thumping so hard inside her rib cage that it feels as if it's about to burst free.

Emma runs a wondrous hand up Regina's side from her hip to her collar bone. The other woman gasps faintly into her mouth. Emma smiles, pleased. Teasingly, she slips her hand through the buttons of Regina's shirt and finds the skin on her stomach, the softness there rivaling that of the silk blouse above.

Regina curls her fingers around Emma's hip and pulls her even closer. Their hips meet and grind together, once, twice.

Then those same fingers are grasping the bottom of Emma's shirt and tugging upwards. Emma breaks the kiss only long enough to allow the shirt to slip over her head before she reclaims Regina's lips with a new urgency.

A few stumbling steps bring them to the edge of the bed. Desperate hands grasp at skin and cloth as their clothing falls quietly to the floor.

A naked Regina tugs at Emma's hips as she falls backwards onto the bed, bringing Emma down on top of her. They're above the sheets and Emma spares a moment to appreciate the soft texture of the fabric under her hands that are propped on either side of Regina's head, holding her up.

Emma sinks into the soft curves of the woman below her. Regina's skin is beautiful in the moonlight, creamy and smooth. She can't explore it fast enough.

Regina wraps strong fingers in Emma's blonde hair and pulls her down into another scorching kiss. A moment later, the dark-haired woman's muscles bunch as she flips them over, swinging a leg over Emma's hips to straddle her thighs.

Emma arches up into the woman hovering above her.

Regina hesitates.

Emma looks up into dark, overwhelmed eyes. She breaks the silence the only way she knows how.

"That was a pretty cool light show earlier," she remarks softly. "I always pegged you for a fireball kind of girl, but that was more like a ball of lightening."

Regina's face hardens momentarily, but relaxes quickly when she realizes that Emma is teasing her. She raises an elegant eyebrow.

"It was indeed a form of lightening, yes. What you might call electricity in this world." Her eyes glint in the dim light. "It would have fried you, you know."

Emma is distracted by Regina's beautiful breasts dangling above her. With mussed hair and soft eyes, the figure leaning over her causes Emma's breath catch painfully in her throat.

"Well, it was a silly waste of energy," Emma informs her absently. "You let it dribble out on the floor."

Her eyes fall briefly to the scorch mark by the door before drifting back to the vision hovering over her. She licks lips, wondering if Regina will allow her to taste the nipple that's hanging temptingly close.

"It's a full moon tonight," Regina says wistfully.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Emma inquires, dragging her gaze from the perfectly puckered nipple to the dark eyes looking down into hers.

"I'm a woman," Regina informs her sardonically.

Emma resists the urge to roll her eyes. _Yup, noticed that. Thanks._ She works to keep her expression neutral, open, inviting the other woman to continue.

"My powers wax and wane with the moon," Regina continues after a moment. "Tonight I am the strongest. But still I can barely..."Her voice trails off.

"You can barely keep the shield up. I know." Emma's voice is gentle. Then it becomes teasing. "But maybe I can help with that."

_Enough talking._ Emma strains her neck upward and captures a hard nipple in her mouth.

Regina's eyes snap shut. She winds her fingers into Emma's hair and pulls the blonde woman's head closer. Nails scrape against Emma's scalp and the blonde hisses in pleasure.

Emma reaches up desperately to touch the skin above her. She splays her fingers across Regina's ribs, feeling the bumps beneath the skin. Bone and muscle and flesh, so very human.

She skims the curve of a soft breast and teasingly brushes the other nipple before moving her lips to capture it between her teeth. She runs her hands down Regina's sides to cup firm buttocks, digging in her fingers and pulling the woman towards her.

And then Regina is everywhere. Her tongue is on Emma's breasts, in her navel, on the inside of her thighs. Her fingers tease Emma's curls, and then with a moan, Emma lifts her hips and Regina slides inside.

In return, Emma reaches her own fingers deep inside the woman above her and curls them, causing Regina to gasp in appreciation.

Regina's slick wetness is on her thigh. She flicks out a tongue and tastes the salty sweat of the other woman's neck as they arch into each other, movements speeding up.

She can feel the energy building between them, humming and crackling.

Regina tosses her head back and comes with a soft cry. Emma follows moments later, biting down on the other woman's shoulder to keep from yelling out loud. She tingles from head to toe.

Regina eases her body down beside Emma and gently extracts her fingers, bringing them to her mouth with a smile. Her eyes are bright.

Emma smiles back, tired and gloriously happy.

The moonlight bathes them as Regina turns down the sheets and guides them both under the covers. Emma is awake long only enough to curl her long body around Regina's before she drifts off into a contented slumber.

xxx

The next morning Emma blinks awake to find herself alone. She's still in Regina's bed, and there's a stickiness between her legs that confirms that the events of the night before were not a dream. She reaches out a hand but the sheets beside her are cool to the touch. Regina has been up for a while.

She yawns and stretches, rolling up on her elbow to look at the clock ticking away across the room. It's almost eight o'clock.

As she falls backwards into the bed her eyes catch the picture of Henry, clearer now in the morning light. His cheerful grin makes her smile in return and she knows why Regina keeps this picture by her bed.

She lies in the tangled sheets for a few more minutes, enjoying the soft mattress beneath her and the faint smell of Regina that permeates the room.

Finally she forces herself to climb out from under the covers and does her best to straighten the sheets. She's never been great at hospital corners, but one of her foster mothers once showed her how to make a proper bed and she does her best. Her limbs feel clumsy and tired after the events of the night before.

She notices that her clothes have been neatly folded and placed in an armchair by the wardrobe. The fastidiousness of the gesture makes her smile.

She uses Regina's bathroom and, feeling somewhat saucy, she snags Regina's silk robe off the back of the door. She wraps the cool garment around herself, gathers her pile of clothing, and pokes her head tentatively out the bedroom door.

There's no sign of Henry so she bolts for the main bathroom and locks herself in. She turns the tap to start the hot water in the shower and brushes her teeth while she waits for the water to warm.

Half an hour later a damp-haired Emma is stepping tentatively into the kitchen. Regina is dressed in a short-sleeved blouse and perfectly pressed pants. Emma takes a moment to appreciate the curve of the other woman's buttocks in the designer slacks.

Henry is at the small table in the breakfast nook, working his way through a stack of pancakes.

This is new. Breakfast in the Mills household usually consists of healthy cereal or toast and eggs. Not pancakes drowning in syrup. Regina must be a in a good mood this morning.

Emma grins.

Henry notices her in the doorway and waves. "Emma!" he calls to her through a mouthful of breakfast. "Mom's making pancakes! They're really good. Do you want some?"

Regina turns to her with a wicked smile. Her eyes are smoldering, full of energy and life. "Yes dear, do have some pancakes."

Emma suppresses the urge to run her hand over Regina's hip as she slips past and joins Henry at the table. A moment later elegant fingers are handing her cup of steaming coffee with lots of cream and sugar, just how she likes it.

"Thanks," she smiles up at the dark-haired woman.

"Thank-_you_," Regina rasps, and Emma notices what's different. Regina has her sparkle back.

xxx

Later that morning Emma is strolling through town on her way to the little grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner.

She's in a good mood. No, strike that, she's in a great mood. She hums a tune as she bounces along, still riding the high from the night before.

It's Sunday and church has just let out. She smiles at the well-dressed people who stream past her. Most of them nod back, but she notices that their smiles are not quite as broad as they once were, and a few of them won't even meet her eyes as they brush past.

She thinks about what her mother had said last night, about people judging her for teaming up with Regina. She finds that she doesn't really care.

And then, as if her thoughts had conjured up the other woman, Snow White steps around a corner dressed in her Sunday best. She's chatting with a few other ladies but waves them a quick good-bye and hurries over to Emma.

She wraps her arms around Emma in a big hug, and for a moment Emma allows herself to relax, to enjoy a mother's arms. Snow White pulls back but leaves her hands resting on Emma's shoulders, keeping her close.

"You're looking bright and cheerful this morning!" she exclaims.

Emma shrugs and tries to tone down the mega-watt smile that she can feel splitting her face. She knows her efforts are in vain. The smile is here to stay.

"Having a good morning?" Snow White asks in bemusement. She gives Emma a pat on the shoulder as she releases the blonde's arms.

"Something like that." Emma feels a flash of guilt and her smile falters slightly.

"Listen," she begins. "There's something I need to tell you." She worries her lower lip between her teeth, wondering how to explain herself. Perhaps the simple truth is best.

Snow White's dark head tilts to the side, questioning. "I'm listening," she says.

"When you asked me about Regina last night, and I said 'ew'... Well, that isn't exactly the truth."

Snow White's face falls. Emma can tell that she's trying to hide her disappointment, and she feels a surge of affection for the other woman.

"Oh." The dark-haired woman takes a moment to gather herself. Then she asks quietly, "Are you happy? Is she good to you?"

The intensity in the other woman's voice catches Emma off guard. She thinks back, and she remembers her own trepidation towards Regina just a few months ago. Her own anger, her own frustration. And yes, even her own hatred.

And her history with the mayor is nothing when compared to what the Evil Queen has put Snow White through.

In honor of her mother's history with Regina, Emma gives the question some serious thought. The answer that she finally offers is sincere.

"I am happy. She is good to me." Emma smiles gently. "Things aren't always smooth, and god knows she has a terrible temper when she feels hurt. But she's changed. Or she's trying to at least. She loves Henry so much, and she's been good to me too. There's more than just evil in her."

Snow White nods. Emma can see that she remains unconvinced, but she's trying her best for Emma's sake.

Emma pulls her into a spontaneous hug and whispers, "Thank you" into the other woman's hair.

Snow White hugs her back, tight, and smiles. "What for?" she asks.

"For being you." It's more than that, but Emma can't speak the words. Not yet. Maybe not ever. She pulls away, awkward.

But Snow White appears to understand, and she squeezes Emma's hand one last time before they part ways. However she can't seem to resist a final word of warning.

"Emma, please, just watch your back."

Emma doesn't know if she's being warned against Regina, or against something else entirely.


	9. Chapter 9

For two weeks things are amazing.

Emma finds herself getting to know Regina better. She now understands Regina's fierce love of her adopted son, and she's learning to appreciate the other woman's biting sense of humor which comes out at the strangest of times. Henry has picked up something of the changed dynamic between the two women and he bounces through life, thrilled by the new lightness in his day-to-day world.

Then suddenly their happy little paradise is shattered.

It starts with Emma being called to Henry's school. She finds him in the principal's office with a split lip and a bloody nose. The principal snidely informs Emma that Henry picked a fight with some other boys in the schoolyard and gives him a week's suspension.

On the way home Henry tells his side of the story. Apparently the boys in school have realized that the evil queen can't hurt them and suddenly Henry has become an easy target. No one can touch the queen, but they've discovered that they can touch her son.

Henry doesn't want to go home yet so Emma leaves him at the playground. The sun is shining and the rest of the kids are still in school. It's the perfect place to do some thinking.

Emma asks him to be careful, gives him a fierce hug, and then storms out of the playground. She's so mad that she's shaking. She's tempted to rush back to the school to pop a punch in the principal's face, but she knows that will only make things worse. She knows she needs to cool off, so when she finds her feet carrying her down the center of town she decides to pop into Storybrooke's little grocery store.

Inside the store she paces up and down the ice cream isle. She's looking for black cherry but they seem to be out.

The grocer sees her pacing and asks what she's looking for. When Emma tells him he looks at her suspiciously.

"Is it for _her_?" His voice is venomous.

"No, for Henry," Emma lies. The grocer's face relaxes slightly and he nods.

"I think I have some in the freezer in the back, just let me check."

As he bustles off Emma finds herself biting back her frustration. Why won't anyone in this town let it go? Their lives have moved on, why can't they move on too?

From what she's read in Henry's story book, the Evil Queen took what she wanted through manipulation and power. The mayor of Storybrooke was much the same way.

Losing Henry, even temporarily, seems to have changed her. Emma notes that Regina is not manipulating anyone at the moment, as least not as far as she can tell, and she takes this as proof of the change. Maybe she's always been a little too optimistic, but she's going with her gut on this one. And her gut says that Regina is no longer the bad guy here.

Her heart aches for the woman who has changed so much and yet is still the center of so much hatred. And her heart aches for their son who is bearing the burden of his mother's past misdeeds.

For two weeks she and Regina have been sharing their bodies at night and their lives during the day. Each time they make love Regina is re-energized, but as the days go by it no longer seems to be enough.

Emma too is getting tired, so very tired. She's not sure if it's from lack of sleep or from the loss of the energy that she's willingly feeding to her lover.

With a plastic shopping bag looped around one wrist, Emma drags herself back to the mansion hoping to catch Regina before Henry gets home. She's so distracted by her thoughts that she doesn't notice the danger until she feels a hand clamp down on her arm.

"Not so fast, dearie."

Mr. Gold is looking a little wilder than when she saw him last. His skin is a strange shade of bronze. His hair is uncombed, his lips cracked. His suit jacket is rumpled and there's a wild look in his eyes.

With a sense of trepidation, Emma realizes that she's looking at Rumpelstiltskin.

She pushes his hand away.

"What do you want, Gold?" Her voice is cold, impatient. She _so_ doesn't need this right now.

"I want you to invite me in." He gestures at the mansion, a creepy half-smile on his face.

"Not likely," she replies. "Besides, I don't choose who gets to pass."

"Ah, but you do." A disturbing giggle escapes his throat.

The fear drives away her exhaustion. Emma backs away, four steps in rapid succession, but somehow he's still right there in front of her, looming.

"She made you a master of the castle," he informs her in a sing-song voice. "The rest of us stay out here," he gestures, "but you come and go. And now you're going to invite me in."

The shock shows on her face. Regina made her a _master_ of the mansion? She trusted Emma with power over the barrier?

What shocks Emma the most is that Regina gave her this trust so long ago, back before they were lovers, before they were even on friendly terms. Back when Emma herself wouldn't have trusted Regina with anything.

"I'm not going to invite you in." Emma tries to keep her voice from wavering.

"Ah, but you _will_ invite me in." Rumpelstiltskin's eyes are dark, the smile on his face twisted.

"You owe me a favor," he reminds her in a perky tone of voice. Then his voice falls and becomes low, commanding. "And I'm cashing it. Invite me in."

Emma tries to turn away, but something holds her in place. To her horror she finds her mouth opening and words coming out.

"I invite you in," she says, and then immediately clamps a hand over her mouth. But it's too late. The damage is done.

"Thank-you dearie!"

Rumpelstiltskin giggles again, a high, maniacal sound, and then he's moving faster than a man should be able to move, practically flying up the front walk. By the time Emma gathers herself enough to chase after him he's already inside the house.

The ice cream drops from her hand unnoticed as Emma dashes after the madman. She passes through the barrier, noting absently that the familiar tingle is weaker than usual, and then she's storming up the front steps and into the foyer.

The sight that greets her inside is worse than she'd imagined.

Regina is lying in a heap on the floor, Rumpelstiltskin standing over her. His hair is flying around his head and his hands are reaching down, dirty fingernails outstretched like claws.

"Where is he?" Rumpelstiltskin demands. He's practically spitting in Regina's face. "Where is Baelfire? Where is my son?"

"I don't know," Regina gasps out. She looks broken and small under the force of his rage.

Emma realizes that Regina is finished.

It was the new moon last night and Regina is at her weakest. There is no more rage left in her, no more anger, no more energy. And no more magic. All that's left is a broken shell.

She rushes forward, intent on body-checking Rumpelstiltskin out the way.

He flicks an absent hand in her direction and she finds herself slamming into the far wall. Hard. She slumps down to the floor, winded, gasping for breath.

"You _know_ where he is in this world," Rumpelstiltskin repeats. "Tell me."

"I don't. I swear I don't," Regina cries. "He left the realm long before the rest of us."

"Then you're of no use to me." A sword appears in his clawed hands and he raises it high, ready to strike.

Emma struggles to rise.

Regina closes her eyes, her face oddly at peace. The sword begins its descent.

And then a young, clear voice rings out.

"Dark One, I command thee!"

It's Henry. His hands and knees are dirty, and he's holding a knife with a strange, wavy blade.

Rumpelstiltskin freezes, the sword hovering in the air. He turns around slowly.

"Where did you get that, boy?" he demands.

"Dark One, I command thee!" Henry repeats. His voice is wavering under Rumpelstiltskin's cold gaze but he stands his ground. Emma has never felt so proud, nor so terrified.

Rumpelstiltskin lets the tip of the sword fall as he sketches a mocking, half-bow. "And what would you have me do, boy?"

Henry licks his lips. Emma can see that he doesn't have a plan, and Rumpelstiltskin must know that too. He advances on Henry, stopping just shy of the tip of the knife.

"Give me the knife, boy. You don't want that kind of power." His voice is calm, deceptively kind. He reaches out, intending to claim possession of the weapon.

Henry pokes the knife forward as if aiming to stab the dark man in the chest. Rumpelstiltskin skitters back, avoiding the blade, and Regina cries out from across the room. She struggles to stand.

"Henry, no!"

Henry glances at her, then returns his eyes to the man in front of him. He licks his lips again, undecided.

"Can I ask you to leave?" he asks finally. "Leave and never come back?"

"You can ask anything you like, dearie." The smile on Rumpelstiltskin's face is not a friendly one.

"No, wait. I command you!" Henry is confident now, his body taught with purpose. "I command you to leave. Leave and never come back!"

Rumpelstiltskin's face is unreadable, frozen. There's a minute twitch at the corner of his eye, and then he bows again, his wild hair curtaining his face. "Of course," he agrees.

Emma is worried. This seems too easy. She wants to call out, but before she can do so Rumpelstiltskin is standing again, turning toward the door.

"Oh." He swivels back to face the room and raises a single finger. Emma's heart skips a beat. "There's one thing I need to do before I go."

She pushes to her feet, ready to throw herself in front of Henry and his strange knife.

But it's not Henry that he's after.

"I just need to..." he turns on his heel in a smooth motion. "Do _THIS_!"

Rumpelstiltskin's form is a blur as he leaps across the room, sword raised high. The first strike pierces directly through Regina's chest, near her left shoulder, and she cries out. The dark man brings the tip of the bloody sword to the queen's throat.

"I should have done this a long time ago," he informs her calmly.

Emma's cry blends with Henry's, echoing in the foyer. "Mom!" "Regina!"

Henry drops the knife and barrels toward the man standing over his mother. Emma pushes off the wall and rushes after him, heedless of the danger.

Regina's eyes are closed, a pained grimace on her face. There's a cruel smile on Rumpelstiltskin's lips as he raises the sword for the final strike.

No one notices the fifth person enter the room until her strong voice halts them in their tracks. "Stop."

Henry freezes, looking around in confusion. Emma turns to find a woman she hasn't met before. The woman has long, reddish hair and is holding the curvy knife with the confidence that suggests she knows exactly what it is.

"Stop," the woman repeats. Then she speaks directly to the dark man. "Rumpel, enough."

"It's Belle!" Henry's whisper is loud in the vast foyer.

Emma doesn't know who Belle is, but Rumpelstiltskin's face is transformed. He looks like a small child, lost and confused.

"She deserves it," he says in a quiet voice.

"Yes, she does deserve to die." Belle's voice is hard and clear. She flicks her eyes to the evil queen who is lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood. Broken. Defeated.

"But you can't kill her, my love. You need to cleanse your soul. Let her go." Her voice is faintly pleading.

Emma mouths the word silently. _Love?_

Rumpelstiltskin looks undecided.

Belle tightens her grip on the knife. "I could command you," she says.

"No. No, you never need to command me." His voice is soft, gentle.

"Let's go then. We'll find your son another way. I promise." Belle reaches out her free hand and tentatively the dark man takes it.

"We'll find Bae," he agrees.

Belle tucks the knife into her coat and raises her hand to smooth back some of the wild hair from Rumpelstiltskin's forehead. Suddenly the Dark One looks more human, a man who has been lost and only just found again.

Belle smiles at him faintly and leads him away.

Emma spares a moment to watch the couple exit the door and start down the front walk before Regina's faint moan snaps her into motion.

She's kneeling by Regina's side, whipping off her jacket and pressing it ineffectively against the wound in Regina's shoulder.

"Oh God Regina, don't die on us," Emma pleads.

"Mom, Mom!" Henry pats Regina's hand frantically. "Use your magic, Mom!"

Emma doesn't have the heart to tell him that there's none left.

The barrier must be down or else Belle couldn't have gotten in. Emma wonders how much time they have left before the rest of the townsfolk discover the same thing.

Regina's eyes open and focus on her son. "Henry," she rasps. "I love you, Henry. Don't ever forget that."

"I won't Mom. I won't!" Henry grabs Regina's hand and squeezes it hard.

Regina's gaze shifts to Emma. Her eyes are dark and full of pain, but Emma can also detect a trace of warmth and affection.

_I love you._ The thought echoes through Emma's head unbidden.

"Look after Henry." The words are faint but clear. "Promise me."

Emma nods faintly and Regina's eyes slide shut. Her breathing is labored and shallow.

"Regina, no!" Emma cries out. She wants to shake the other woman, force the life back into her. But she can feel Regina's spirit slipping through her hands.

"Mom, don't go!" Henry buries his face against Regina's undamaged shoulder. "I love you, Mom!" he cries.

Regina's chest stills. The blood continues to seep sluggishly from her body.

Emma's vision blurs and she realizes that she's crying.

She's crying for Henry, who has just lost his mother. She's crying for herself, who has just lost an unexpected friend. And she's crying for the evil queen who has lost her chance at redemption.

Emma drops her forehead to Regina's. The other woman's skin is still faintly warm. She feels a sob catch in her throat.

"I love you," she whispers, shocked at the truth in her words. She pulls back to place a gentle kiss on Regina's temple, much the same way she had kissed Henry in the hospital all those weeks ago.

For a second she hopes the outcome will be the same – a sharp intake of breath, the body coming to life beneath her. But Regina remains still.

"I love you," she repeats in despair. "Don't leave us."

And then she feels her body being rocked back by an unknown force. Her chest feels compressed, as if by a great weight. Her vision blackens and for several long heart beats she is in the dark, struggling to breathe.

The darkness clears as quickly as it descended and the air rushes back into her lungs.

She blinks her vision into focus.

Regina's dark, stormy eyes are open, looking right at her. Right through her.

"Truly?" Regina's voice is tentative, unsure.

Startled, Emma scrambles backwards. Regina pushes herself up to a seated position, wincing as the move hurts her damaged shoulder. The blood is flowing freely again and Emma feels a moment of panic. Regina, however, is amazingly calm.

Henry throws himself at his mother, burying his head in her lap. "Mom!" His joyful cry is muffled by her body.

She carefully brings her right arm up to rest on his back, but her gaze is fixed on Emma.

"Truly?" she asks again. "Did you mean that?"

Emma's pulse is fluttering wildly. Her face is hot. She casts her eyes around the room restlessly before allowing them to settle on Regina's delicate hand that is gently rubbing Henry's back.

"Well, yeah," Emma mutters, finding herself somewhat embarrassed to admit the truth. "I guess I must. Since you woke up and all."

"True love can break any curse," Regina muses. A gentle smile spreads slowly across her face.

Her eyes flutter shut and Emma can see Regina's lips moving, forming words in a language that she cannot follow. The air around her ripples faintly. A few moments later Regina opens her eyes again and grins, looking pleased.

"Henry," she says, before shifting her weight and rising to her feet. She draws her son with her, the two rising together on shaky legs. She flexes her left arm.

"Hah!" she laughs, a genuine sound that brings a smile to Emma's face as well. "Good as new."

She has Henry tucked under her right arm, held tightly against her body. His eyes are still squeezed shut, his nose pressing into her armpit.

Regina reaches out her left hand and Emma grasps her fingers firmly, smiling at the familiar spark between them.

A delighted laugh escapes Regina's throat. She tosses her head back and cries to the ceiling, "Do you see this, Mother? I'm going to have my happy ending after all!"

Then her dark eyes are boring into Emma's. "There are a number of ways two people can make energy together," Regina reminds her. "Fighting and hatred is one way. Sex is another. But love is the most powerful of all."

"I can do it now," she continues. "I can end this curse once and for all. Everyone can go back to their happy endings."

Emma nods, not trusting her voice to speak.

She marvels at the flutter of Regina's eyelashes and the few faint freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. She hasn't been this close before in full daylight and she finds Regina even more beautiful in the sun.

Regina's warm eyes examine Emma's features, seeking answers. "The only question is, what's your happily ever after?" she asks in amusement.

"My happily ever after?" Emma manages to stutter out the question.

"That's right, dear," Regina confirms saucily, sounding more like herself. "Princesses always get their happily ever afters, you know."

"Princess, right. Ah, well... I guess that would be with Henry," Emma admits. "And, uh... with you."

The words are hard to get out, but the look on Regina's face makes them worthwhile.

"Done," Regina grants with a fond smile. "And would you like to return with everyone else? Or where would you prefer to live, Princess?"

"Live?" Emma stutters, caught off guard. "Well, I've always wanted to check out California. You know, spend some time by the beach?"

Regina rolls her eyes. "California?" she mutters darkly, but the smile never quite leaves her face.

Her voice sobers. "I'm sending everyone else back. That means you won't see Snow White," her voice catches only slightly on the name, "or James ever again."

Regina's voice is serious as she asks, "Will you miss them? Will you miss your parents?"

Henry's dark eyes peek out from under Regina's arm and meet Emma's. Emma shakes her head.

"They're my friends really, more than my parents. I got to spend some time with them, and I'm glad to know they're out there, that I wasn't abandoned..."

Regina looks away, her eyes casting downwards. Emma places two fingers under the other woman's chin and brings her head up, silently asking Regina to look at her.

"It's okay," she says, and she means it. She gazes into Regina's dark eyes.

"Really. My life worked out the way it was supposed to. And I'll miss them, but..." Her voice trails off and she shrugs.

Regina studies her face for a moment, seeking the truth, and then she nods.

"What about you, Henry?" Regina turns to her son.

"I've always wanted to go to California!" he exclaims in an excited voice. He shifts out from under Regina's arm but keeps a tight grip on her shirt. Her hand drifts down to wrap around his waist.

"Yeah!" he confirms. "We can go to Disneyland and I can try surfing and we can have a palm tree in our yard. And maybe a dog. Can we get a dog, Mom? Please?" He turns beseeching brown eyes up at his mother.

"We'll see, Henry."

"Yay!" he exclaims, bouncing a little in his excitement.

Regina draws Emma close.

Emma's heart catches painfully as she feels the warmth of Regina's body against her hers, a feeling that minutes before she thought she'd lost forever.

She's used to the other woman being larger than life and she's struck once again by the odd fact that she's actually the taller of the two. It makes her feel fiercely protective of the smaller woman pressed against her side.

"Let's see," Regina mutters. Her eyes are unfocussed and she appears to be casting around for something outside of herself. "There it is..."

Regina lets go of the two people flanking her, seeming to trust that they'll stay close. Her arms raise up and Emma can feel the electricity racing along her body.

"I've never held so much power before," Regina notes in a bemused manner. Emma thinks that once this would have been intoxicating for the other woman, but now she just seems to be stating a fact.

Regina's movements are careful, her eyes focused on a faraway point. Her dark hair is falling into her face and Emma reaches out to tuck a strand behind the other woman's ear, thrilled at the natural intimacy of the gesture. Henry smiles up at her, pleased by the affection between the two women that make up his family.

"Now I just need to find..." Regina's voice trails off.

"There he is!" she exclaims triumphantly. "Alright everyone, hang on!"

Emma feels a rush of blood, a pounding in her head. And then once again everything goes black.


	10. Chapter 10

After the curse broke the first time, memories of dual lives flooded the minds of the citizens of Storybrooke. As the evil queen fled the hospital, an ominous purple cloud blew through town leaving things forever changed. The confused townsfolk found themselves full of anger and fear. Some joined David's mob to hunt down the former mayor, while many fled, hiding in their houses and locking their doors.

Now the townsfolk feel another shift. Some are hopeful, but most brace themselves for the worst as their world fades away...

...And then a bird sings.

Seven dwarves find themselves marching in line, singing a tune.

The Blue Fairy stretches her wings in pleasure.

A princess bounces her baby while her prince looks on with delight.

A man is running through the forest on human legs, a cricket buzzing by his side. They burst through the trees into a clearing where an old man is tinkering with a broken clock. The old man looks up at them and smiles.

A girl and her younger brother sit with their father in a small hut.

And another man hugs his daughter in delight before plunking a large, felt hat on her head.

The girl giggles.

xxx

Snow White stands beside her beloved Prince Charming in a high tower at the south end of their castle. They're standing at a large window cut in the stone, looking down at their kingdom below.

"Do you think they're okay?" she asks wistfully.

James puts an arm around his queen. "I'm sure they're fine," he reassures her. "It's better this way. She did the right thing."

Snow doesn't know if he's referring to their daughter or to Regina. She chooses not to ask.

"Take care of them, Regina." She speaks the words into the breeze. "I forgive you."

xxx

Rumpelstiltskin is standing on a bluff overlooking the ocean, Belle by his side. The breeze is flitting playfully around their bodies, causing Belle to reach up with an absent hand to pull her hair back from her face. She's listening with concern to the man beside her.

"Where do we start? I don't know where to start," Rumpelstiltskin laments. He's been repeating the same concern since they awoke this morning.

His skin is pink, his eyes brown. When they appeared in this land three days ago he had felt the transformation as Regina drained his powers, somehow taking away the curse of the Dark One and leaving him nothing but a shell.

A farmer had found them, fed them, and let them sleep in his barn that night. The next morning they had begun their search.

At first Rumpelstiltskin was angry, furious with Regina. He was determined to find a source of power and take his revenge.

Now, three days later, he feels calm. At peace in a way that he hasn't felt since before he had stolen the knife and become the Dark One himself. The knife too is gone; it didn't make the journey with them.

Belle turns to him and he is struck once again by her beauty. Not just her external beauty, but her internal beauty as well, the kind of beauty that was able to love a beast.

He is about to thank her for sticking by him when they hear a voice.

"Father?"

Rumpelstiltskin whips around and his heart swells with a foreign feeling. That feeling is joy, something he hasn't felt in so long that it's strange and wonderful and almost painfully large in his chest.

"Bae!" he cries out.

His feet are moving of their own volition. With stumbling steps he and Baelfire crash into each other. Desperate arms grab his son and hold him close.

After several long moments he pulls away to examine the boy in his arms.

"Bae, you look just the same!" he exclaims. And it's true, Bae hasn't aged at all.

Belle is watching them, her eyes full of happy tears.

"Where did you go, son? And how did you get back?" Rumpelstiltskin needs to know.

"I went into the vortex. You didn't follow."

"I know son, I'm sorry."

"But you're back to normal now!" the boy exclaims.

"Yes I am."

"Good." The boy's voice is pleased, relieved. He pulls his father in for another hug. Rumpelstiltskin feels the last remnants of his desire for power fade away, never to return.

"What happened after you went into the vortex?" Rumpelstiltskin demands gently. "What did you find?"

"Another world." Bae's voice is full of wonder and fear. "Everything was grey. Grey buildings, grey streets. It was raining. Some people found me and took me to an orphanage."

"I'm so sorry, Bae."

"It's okay, Father. I was only there three days. And then a pretty lady with dark hair found me. She said it was time to come home. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them I was here!" His eyes are shining, his voice high-pitched and sweet.

"Well, over there," he corrects himself, pointing down the bluff and into the little town below. "For some reason I decided to come see the ocean... and I found you!"

Rumpelstiltskin holds his son close. His heart feels light and full.

_Thank-you, your majesty._ The thought is pure, honest. The queen has remedied the two biggest mistakes he's made in his life, trading his goodness for power, and betraying his son. He has a second chance.

He reaches out his hand and pulls Belle, his own personal savior, into their little family circle.

"Bae," he says, "there's someone I'd like you to meet."

xxx

California isn't the quite paradise that Emma had imagined. It's been raining for three days straight, for one thing.

But Emma has never been happier.

Henry is lingering by a poster advertising Golden Retriever puppies for sale. Regina slides up beside Emma and rolls her eyes.

"We're not getting a puppy," she mutters.

"I dunno Regina. What if that's part of his happily ever after?" Emma is teasing, but she can see the point hit home.

Regina sighs. "A puppy, huh? _You_ can get up in the night to take it out to pee, then. I already did my time with Henry."

"Fair enough," Emma grins. Truthfully she's always wanted a dog. But you need a stable home first. This is the first time she's ever had one of those.

Regina leans in close and places her chin on Emma's shoulder.

Emma feels the other woman's breast pressing against her arm and warm breath on her neck. A familiar heat rushes through her body and she can't help the grin that splits her face.

By choosing to stay in this world Regina had to give up her magic. She doesn't seem to miss it, but Emma sometimes wonders.

Their relationship isn't perfect. Emma still struggles with commitment, with staying in one place for too long. And Regina still has a wicked temper.

Emma is learning Regina's insecurities and is finding herself much more able to navigate them. Regina is slowly relaxing, learning to be safe. Learning to be happy. They're fighting less these days, although the fights they do have are always still spectacular. And so is the make-up sex.

Regina's dark eyes meet hers. In this close proximity she feels like she can see into Regina's soul. Damaged, to be sure, but healing. Good and pure.

Henry rushes over to them. "Mom! Emma! Did you see? Puppies! They're going to be ready to go to new homes in a week!"

Regina sighs again, but it's a happy sigh. She claims Emma's hand and lets Henry drag them both over to the poster advertising the pups.

"Alright Princess," she says, throwing a fond glance in Emma's direction. "Let's get the number for these puppies."

xxx

There are many different kinds of magic in the world, and there are many different kinds of happily ever after.

For Emma Swan, happily ever after is found in a small town on the American west coast with the family she'd never expected to have. Her son is on the floor playing with a golden puppy. At her side, a reformed evil queen laughs in delight at the pup's clumsy antics.

She leans in and nuzzles her love's neck. A familiar spark of electricity races down her body, the last, fleeting remnants of magic that pass occasionally from Regina's body to hers.

She smiles.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Final A/N: I need to give a big thank-you to everyone who provided feedback as I was posting this story. The story was essentially complete before I started posting - I dislike unfinished stories so I never post the first part until I also have the end. However, as the pieces got posted one at a time, your feedback resulted in three additional chapters, the answer to "Where are Emma's parents and what do they think about her shacking up with the evil queen?", and a deeper exploration of Regina's inner turmoil. So thank-you for all the thoughts, comments and support along the way! I read every single comment, and each and every one was very much appreciated. Thank-you. - DK


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